


Wednesday

by madjm



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 06:12:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8612353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madjm/pseuds/madjm
Summary: She knew it was Wednesday, because it had been Wednesday every morning for the last four days, and she was the only one who seemed to notice. AU for the end of 3.11; Regina stops the curse, but there are consequences. Originally on ffnet.





	1. Chapter 1

_Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. — John Wayne_

It was Wednesday.

Emma knew without even opening her eyes that it was twenty after 9 Wednesday morning. Again.

On cue, the sounds of Katrina and the Waves' annoyingly peppy "Walking on Sunshine" started playing downstairs, with Mary Margaret's voice chiming in cheerily. Emma wanted to scream and throw something, but that would mean actually opening her eyes and getting out of bed, confirming what she really already knew.

Frickin Wednesday.

She knew it was Wednesday, because it had _been_ Wednesday every morning for the last four days, and she was the only one who seemed to notice.

When Pan's curse had descended on Storybrooke, Regina was able to stop it, as Gold predicted. Magic always came with a price, though, and Emma wished she'd asked what that price was beforehand. Turns out, the price was her own sanity, which would have been nice to know at the beginning.

Groaning, she pushed herself out of bed and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. 9:22 a.m. Wednesday.

Dammit.

* * *

"Morning," she said half-heartedly.

She'd taken her time getting ready before heading downstairs to face the exact same conversation she'd had with her mother every morning, one that she already knew was going to piss her off. Mary Margaret's complete lack of perspective about the Neal situation was wearing thin even before she'd started living the same day on repeat.

Mary Margaret turned to her and beamed. "Good morning!" Pat Benatar had replaced Katrina and the Waves on her mother's favorite '80s radio station. Normally Emma would approve, but like everything else in this scene, it was annoyingly familiar.

As Mary Margaret turned back to the stove, Emma mouthed her next words along with her. "You slept late. Feeling OK?"

"Never better."

"Great! Listen, I know with the curse and everything, you didn't have a chance to have that lunch with Neal —"

Emma rolled her eyes. She was not about to listen to this speech for the fourth day in a row.

"No."

"I … I'm sorry?"

"No, I'm not going to meet with Neal. No, I'm not going to have lunch with Neal; I'm having lunch with Henry. No, I'm not going to get back together with Neal."

"But Emma, don't you think —"

"No." Emma seriously considered just walking out rather than having this conversation again, but the anger bubbling up in her was too strong to fight. Dammit, couldn't her mother see how unhappy the thought of Neal made her? "What the hell? When you were just _my friend_ , Mary Margaret, you understood me so much better! Now, you're too interested in mothering me to see what's right in front of you."

"Emma, that's enough!" David came running, of course, to defend his True Love. The sight of the two of them standing together against her — and yes, the small part of her that could still be reasonable knew they weren't _against_ her — sparked her temper even more.

"All those walls of mine you used to lecture me about? A whole hell of a lot of them have Neal Cassidy's name on them. He ruined my life, abandoned me and sent me to jail! If it weren't for him, I never would have given Henry up. I would have been able to raise my son! Do you think I could ever forgive him for that?"

Mary Margaret and David exchanged a shocked glance.

"He. Did. What?" her father all but growled.

"You know what, it doesn't even matter," Emma continued. "What I'm really mad about is the two of you not trusting me! I have told you day after day that something happened when Regina stopped the curse. We have been living the same day over and over, and I'm the only one who knows."

Apparently her reveal about Neal had rendered them speechless, because they didn't give her the standard replies of "Emma, honey, you're so tired," "Neverland was stressful," and so forth.

"I wish you two would make up your minds. You're so quick to brag about how your daughter is 'the savior,' yet you never believe me when I tell you something important."

With a growl of her own, she banged out of the apartment.

* * *

She considered going in to work, as she had the past few days, but there was really no point. A short note from Leroy detailing the utter lack of trouble in Storybrooke while they were gone and an uncomfortable call involving a man who called himself "the Emperor" and was running around town flashing people was all she could look forward to there.

She was supposed to meet Henry at Granny's for lunch. He and Tinker Bell had stayed the night with Regina, who had been completely drained by the effort of stopping Pan's curse. When Emma had stopped by to see the queen, she'd looked pale and tired but still had enough strength to snark over her "super-sized case of deja vu."

"If it's still tomorrow tomorrow, let me know," she'd said tiredly before pulling up the covers and obviously dismissing her.

Yeah, she wasn't going to repeat that experience today, either.

For lack of another plan, Emma headed for Granny's. She was a couple hours early for her lunch date with Henry, but she figured a hot chocolate and some quiet time to think were in order.

She already felt a little bad for going off on her parents, but at least she knew they'd forget all about it when the clock struck midnight and the whole day rewound again. She supposed she was the last person in the world who should judge them for not believing something that sounded crazy.

But it stung a bit that, much like the case with Tamara, they'd failed to believe in her again.

Hook, of course, was sitting at the counter at Granny's. It seemed to be his favorite place in town. She hadn't known that he'd be here this early, but she wasn't really surprised. She was glad to see that he was eating a late breakfast, because she knew from experience that he'd spend most of the rest of the day drinking.

And staring at her when he thought she wasn't looking.

She sighed and motioned to Ruby, miming taking a drink and hoping the waitress knew what she wanted. She just wasn't up for any awkward conversation with the pirate, not when she hadn't had time to sort out her confusing feelings about him.

Then again, she figured as she slid into a booth, she had nothing but time right now.

There was no denying she was attracted to him, not after that explosive kiss in Neverland. Her eyes skated his way as Ruby — bless her mind-reading heart — brought her the hot chocolate she was craving.

Speaking of craving, damn, she had wanted to shove Hook up against a tree and see what exactly was under all that leather. It took every ounce of willpower she possessed to let go of him, and that didn't stop her from replaying the kiss in her head a million times since.

And he obviously cared for her. She could try to deny it, but Echo Cave would have proved him a liar ("until I met you" still did something funny to her stomach whenever she thought of it) if he hadn't been telling the truth.

He'd been avoiding her for the most part since they'd gotten back, and she wasn't sure —

"Emma."

She jerked, realizing she'd been staring into her untouched hot chocolate for who knows how long. Unfortunately, she hadn't been paying enough attention to avoid the unwelcome surprise of Neal sliding into the booth across from her. This was a new event, and one she made a note to avoid tomorrow.

She swallowed a sigh and tried to focus on the fact that Neal was grieving. He had, as far as he knew, only lost his father the day before. And it wasn't his fault that she'd had to deal with her mother's clumsy matchmaking attempt for the past few days.

"Hey," she said gently. "You OK?"

He blew out a breath and sent her a half-hearted grin. "I'm … yeah, I'm good. I mean, at least we got the chance to reconnect before he …"

"Right."

She knew she should say something, invite him to lunch with her and Henry or some other kindness, but dammit, she wasn't in the mood for his puppy dog eyes and his utter amnesia about all the reasons they would never work out.

"Listen, Emma," he said seriously. "I've been thinking."

Oh, God, this could not be good. _Stop talking_ , she ordered him mentally. _Stop now_.

Sadly, his mind reading powers were not up to par.

"Losing my dad, almost losing Henry in Neverland, it made me realize just how short life is," he said, taking her hand. "Emma, we should be a family. A real family."

"Neal," she said warningly, trying to pull her hand away.

Instead, he held it tighter. "I know we have things to work out, but I love you, and I know you love me," he said, voice getting uncomfortably louder. She could feel Hook looking at them; hell, she could feel everyone in the damn diner looking at them. Naturally, it was nearly full. "Emma Swan, will you marry me?"


	2. Chapter 2

Granny's was completely hushed, disturbed only by the sound of someone — Hook, she thought — banging a coffee cup on the counter.

It took a moment for her to process everything; it was just too much. She just could not handle this. How could he even think …?

_Note to self: DO NOT come into Granny's before lunchtime tomorrow._

"I …" She realized, for the sake of peace, that she could accept. Or she could let him down gently; regardless of what she did, no one would remember this tomorrow.

But if nobody would remember this tomorrow anyway, she might as well give it to him straight.

"I can't believe you have the nerve to ask me that," she said softly, aware that everyone in the diner was listening. "I can't … Neal, do you even remember what I said to you in the cave? That was a terrible, terrible thing to say, but even more terrible is that being with you is so painful to me that I would rather see you dead!"

She wrenched her hand away and stood up. She felt a twinge of guilt at his stunned face, but another part of her was even more annoyed that he could be surprised by this. "Do you even live in the real world? After what you did to me, if we got back together, I would just be waiting for you to leave when things got tough. And, news flash, my life is _never_ not tough now!"

Emma glanced around the diner at all the shocked faces (and was Ruby covering up a _laugh_?), purposely avoiding looking at Hook.

She cleared her throat and turned back to Neal. "No," she said firmly. "No, I will never marry you."

Then she made a run for it.

* * *

She spent a couple hours walking, trying to burn off some of her mad, before she returned to the waterfront, her favorite place in town.

Being by the water always helped her think.

Now, she could think about what a rotten person she was, thankful for the first time for the rewind button at midnight.

She'd yelled at her parents, embarrassed Neal in front of a diner full of townsfolk and now had blown off lunch with her son without even calling him.

God, she was seriously losing her shit. She felt a sudden wave of sympathy for Jefferson. No wonder the guy was a nutjob; he'd gone through the same thing for 28 years, and she was falling apart after four days. Next thing you knew, she'd be waving a gun around and taking hostages.

"That was quite the show, Swan," Hook said, dropping onto the bench beside her. She didn't look at him, but she couldn't even pretend to be surprised that he'd found her. "Are you all right, love?"

"I …" Her eyes on the water, she sighed. "I am the worst person in the world."

He huffed out a laugh. "I can tell you from experience, that's not true."

"He just lost his father."

"Aye. But obviously you're troubled as well. He'll forgive you."

"It doesn't matter," she said dully. "Tomorrow, he won't even remember."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed and finally looked at him. "You have your flask on you?"

He pulled it out and shook it. "It's empty," he said. After a brief pause, he continued. "I've more rum on my ship, though."

She stood up. "Let's go, then."

* * *

"So, tomorrow, we'll live this same day over again?" Hook took another sip of rum from the bottle they were sharing. Though he had chairs (and a bed, though she was _definitely_ not thinking of Hook and a bed in the same sentence), they were sitting side-by-side on the floor of his cabin. "And you're the only one who'll remember?"

"Yup," she said, popping the P, then following that with another healthy draw on the bottle.

"Well, if it's a curse, there must be some way to break it," he said reasonably.

"Yeah, but with Gold gone, Regina is the only one I know of who … wait, you believe me?"

"Of course."

"But … but doesn't it sound crazy?" She curled her legs under her and turned to face him.

"Of course," he repeated, shrugging. "But so does a curse that can bring an entire kingdom to a different realm. So does a magical pirate ship. So does —"

"Okay, okay," she said. "You're right. That just makes me more mad that nobody else believes me."

"Perhaps," he said slowly, "they don't _want_ to believe. It gets to be a bit much, doesn't it? Always facing one crisis after another."

"Damn right it does," she said grumpily. "Look, I wouldn't want to believe, either, but I'm the one going crazy living the same day over and over and over."

"I'm sorry, Swan," he said, taking a drink before passing the bottle back. "But there must be a way to reverse this, and if anyone can, you can."

* * *

They talked for hours.

Killian Jones was a very interesting man, and he had loads of stories about his pirate adventures. She wasn't sure how many of them were true; as far as she could tell, he wasn't lying, but she'd had more than enough alcohol to cloud her judgement. And, truthfully, she didn't really care if they were true; she found that she just kind of loved hearing him talk.

She told him stories as well; he watched her, wide-eyed, as she told of some of her toughest catches as a bail bondsperson and related the story of how she came to Storybrooke in the first place and how she broke the curse.

"But Henry, does he not believe you?" Hook asked, circling back around to her current problem. "Seems like the lad would be the first person to believe."

"He probably would," she said. "But I haven't ever told him. He's been through so much, and I don't want him to get upset over something that I don't know how to fix."

"Yet," he prompted.

She nodded. Something about his faith in her made her believe there was a way out of this mess. "Yet," she repeated.

"Until we can find a way to break this curse, perhaps you should try looking at the bright side."

"The bright side? Okay, Pollyanna, what the hell is the bright side in all this?"

Hook looked a bit confused at the reference, but then shrugged. "Well, until the curse breaks, you can do whatever you please, with no consequences whatsoever." He smirked at her.

"I …" she trailed off, thinking about it. "It's possible that it's just because I'm a little drunk, but that actually _does_ sound like a bright side."

She already knew she'd be glad people would forget how awful she'd been today. And, hey, she could drink all she wanted to without having a hangover the next day. She'd just shaved her legs Tuesday, so she'd never have to do that. She'd never have to have to have a period. Forget ever going to work. She could do whoever — _what_ ever — she wanted with no consequences.

"What would you do?" she asked suddenly. "If you were in my position?"

He avoided her eyes, staring down at the bottle in his hand. "I'd wait until almost midnight, then I'd kiss you," he said. "That way … that way, if you didn't want me as I want you, I'd never have to know."

She took the bottle from him, setting it carefully on the floor beside her, then shifted closer to him. "Well, that's just silly," she said. "Then if I _did_ want you, you'd never know that, either."

He looked at her then, and their eyes locked. "Emma …"

"Hook," she whispered, moving closer, leaning her forehead on his. "That kiss in Neverland, that was —"

"Hook!"

She pulled back from him at the sound of her father's voice on deck. What the hell?

"Hey, Hook, are you here?"

He glanced at her lips, then sighed regretfully. "Down here!" he yelled.

David, followed by Mary Margaret, came into Hook's cabin, obviously startled by the sight of their daughter on the floor next to the pirate.

"I … we came to find out if you knew where Emma was, but …"

"But she's three sheets to the wind!" Emma chirped, then frowned. "What does that even mean? Why three sheets? Why not two, or four?"

"You're drunk," Mary Margaret said.

"That's what I just said," Emma rolled her eyes and looked at Hook, who smirked back.

"We need to talk," David said.

"We better sober you up, first," her mother nodded. "Both of you, come with us."

* * *

A couple strong cups of coffee and an excellent omelette later, Emma was feeling more herself. Well enough, anyway, to be amused by the sight of her father serving up a second omelette to his new best friend, Hook, who'd all but inhaled his first one.

"This is fantastic, mate," Hook said. "Even Granny's isn't this good."

David looked so proud of himself that Emma had to swallow a laugh. She exchanged a look with her mother, who rolled her eyes at the bromance.

"Okay," Mary Margaret said seriously. "What with all the … startling revelations you dropped on us this morning, it's been a little difficult to sort everything out."

"We want you to know, we _do_ believe in you," David chimed in. "We're sorry if we made you feel that we don't. Please, just tell us what's going on."

Emma sighed and drained the last of her coffee. As quickly as possible, she gave them the basics. Pan's curse plus Regina's curse equals Emma's curse.

"And nobody's willing to believe me," she finished. "Except Hook. I mean, I told you guys every day, and this is the first time you've even asked for more details."

Her mother stared thoughtfully at Hook, then redirected her focus back to Emma. "Emma, honey, did you really give us a chance to process it? I mean, it takes a while. I admit, my knee-jerk reaction is to not want to believe it; I just want us to be able to go _one day_ without some kind of crisis."

"Fair enough," Emma conceded. "The first couple of days I just followed the same routine, since I didn't know what else to do." She decided not to mention the dozens of phone calls from her parents that she had ignored those days.

Clearing her throat, she continued. "Then yesterday, I made it about halfway through the day before realizing there was no reason to do anything, so I hid out. I guess I kind of did that today, too."

"The trouble is," David said, "we don't know what it is, exactly. A curse? A spell? Some kind of mix of the two?"

"We need Regina," Mary Margaret nodded.

Emma glanced at the clock. "It's too late to worry about right now," she said. "By the time we got over there and told her about it, it would be midnight."

"That's when the clock turns back?" David asked.

"Yep. Look, I'll try her first tomorrow. She's definitely my best hope for figuring a way out of this."

She took her coffee cup to the sink, then let David pull her into a hug. Mary Margaret soon joined in. Clearing her throat, Emma pulled away first and returned to sit next to Hook.

"If you just give us a chance, we'll believe you," Mary Margaret said. "But if you're in a hurry, I'll tell you something you wouldn't otherwise know."

"Oh, a secret?" Hook asked, smirking. "Do tell, your majesty."

Mary Margaret laughed. "Well, you won't remember it in a few minutes anyway."

"Well, I will, so please, nothing that will scar me for life, okay?"

"It's nothing like that," Mary Margaret smiled. "Just something from my childhood that you wouldn't know. When I was a little girl, my favorite thing in the world was a pink stuffed rabbit in a light green dress with these ridiculous earrings in her rabbit ears. My father got it in some far away kingdom, and I loved it. Her name was … Chicken."

"The rabbit's name was Chicken?" David asked.

"Hey," she smacked his arm. "Don't mock; I was 4."

"OK, Chicken the rabbit. Got it." Emma turned to face Hook. "I just want to thank you, for believing me. It makes me feel slightly less crazy."

"I always believe in you, Swan," he said softly. "Listen, Emma —"

Midnight.

Rewind.


	3. Chapter 3

It was Wednesday.

Emma sighed, rolled over and checked the clock. 9:20.

Today, she wouldn't even try to talk to her parents; she'd just go straight to Regina. Maybe she'd work this out, and things could go back to normal.

" _Well, until the curse breaks, you can do whatever you please, with no consequences whatsoever."_

Rolling onto her back, Emma studied the ceiling and replayed her conversation with Hook. She could do whatever she wanted. No consequences. She could have a real, actual day off from drama (at least, if she avoided Neal). She tried to remember the last time she'd taken a vacation. Even before she'd come to Storybrooke, she'd worked all the time, even on her birthday.

She remembered telling Mary Margaret that her price for being the savior was never getting a day off. And it was true.

Unless she just took one for herself.

It's not like anyone would ever know.

Emma smiled.

* * *

She skipped work again, wandering aimlessly around town. She had a near miss with the Emperor/flasher guy but ducked into the quiet library before she'd have to arrest him (or get another look at his junk). The building was unlocked but empty; Belle, naturally, wasn't up to working the day after she'd lost her love.

Emma couldn't remember the last time she'd had time to just sit down and read a book.

She wandered the shelves, reading the titles on the spines and the occasional book jacket, before she ran into a rack of worn-looking paperbacks, mostly romances. With a grin, she grabbed one with a dark, handsome and dangerous-looking pirate on the cover. It looked like it would be nice and smutty and easy on the brain. She found a comfy spot to sit and started to read.

She was more than halfway through the book —which was very entertaining and _totally did not_ give her any R-rated thoughts about any pirates she might know — when it was time to pick up Henry for lunch. She mentally bookmarked the novel and promised herself she'd come back and read the rest when she'd broken the curse.

* * *

It was a relief to have lunch with Henry; even though he didn't realize she'd stood him up the day before, she still remembered — and felt bad about it.

"How's Regina?" she asked, popping a french fry in her mouth.

"She's real tired," Henry said. "And her magic's not working."

Emma frowned. She tried to remember if he'd told her that before.

"Her magic's not working?"

"She says it's because Pan's curse took so much out of her and she'll be better soon, but I'm worried."

"It'll be okay," she said slowly. "Regina knows what she's talking about."

"I know, that's what she says, too."

"Is Tinker Bell still with her?"

"Yeah, I guess she and my mom are good friends," Henry grinned. "Sometimes living here is so cool!"

Emma laughed at his enthusiasm. "Do you think fairies like soup? I thought we could send some of Granny's famous chicken noodle soup home with you for Regina. Might make her feel better."

"That's a great idea!"

Emma nodded at his plate. "Finish your burger, and I'll go ask Ruby for a to-go order."

She walked up to the counter and dropped onto the seat next to Hook. He had, as usual, been watching her every time he thought she wasn't looking. She waved at Ruby and turned her attention to the pirate.

"You could have just come over to sit with us," she said, grinning and bumping her shoulder gently against his. "You're going to get a crick in your neck with all the twisting around to stare at me."

"Swan, you're here?" he said, faking surprise (very badly). "I had no idea."

She chuckled. "Yeah, OK."

Before he could reply, Ruby made it over to her. "What's up, Emma?"

Emma gave her the order for Regina's soup and glanced at Hook. "Plus, another beer for Captain Tightpants here. I think he needs it."

Ruby snorted and took her money. "It'll be ready when Henry is."

"Thanks, Ruby."

Hook caught her arm before she could turn away, his eyes scanning her quickly before locking on to hers.

"What?"

"Swan, you're …"

"I'm?"

"I don't know." He let go and licked his lips. "Something's different about you."

"Well, let me know if you figure it out," she said, smirking, before returning to Henry.

* * *

She saw Henry safely home, then decided to go back to the diner. She'd seen Neal heading into his father's shop with Belle, so she figured she was safe from any matrimonial ambushes for the time being.

She really wanted a hot chocolate, and the fact that she knew Hook would still be there had no bearing on the decision whatsoever.

She thought, with a laugh, that she was certainly giving her own lie detector a workout today.

Granny's was more-or-less empty by this time, and Hook didn't even pretend he wasn't staring at her. There was a slight frown on his face, and he looked at her like she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. Ruby brought her hot chocolate and just stood there, studying her, before dropping into the seat across from her.

"What's with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Shouldn't you be at work … or something?"

Emma shrugged. "I'm taking a Me Day."

Ruby grinned. "Oh, I like the sound of that. Want some company? We could eat a lot of junk food and watch chick flicks all day."

"I highly doubt that your definition of chick flick matches mine." At Ruby's confused look, she smirked. "OK, what's your favorite?"

The waitress thought about it for a moment. "There are so many cute ones, but I vote for 'Sweet Home Alabama.'"

Emma nodded. "Hard to go wrong with Reese Witherspoon. Now, _my_ favorite chick flick is '300.'"

"Wait, what? Isn't that the movie with all the fighting and spraying blood and stuff? How is _that_ a chick flick?"

Emma grinned. "Seriously? Three-hundred half-naked men fighting to the death and getting all sweaty and dirty and bloody and —" She broke off with a kind of growl, louder than she intended. She could still feel Hook watching her, but she refused to look at him, burying her head in her arms on the table to hide her blush.

"Good lord, woman," Ruby said in a low voice. "I don't mean to pry, but how long has it been since you've gotten any?"

Emma groaned, then raised her head, flicking her glance to Hook, hoping he couldn't hear what they were saying. "I don't even remember."

"Oh. My. God."

"What?"

"You _like_ him!"

"Ruby," she hissed.

Ruby's voice dropped even lower. "I asked about sex, and you looked right at him. I knew he had it bad for you, but it's totally mutual! You want to tap that pirate ass!"

Emma decided silence was her best course of action.

"I mean, I don't blame you. He's very hot, and that mouth …" Ruby stared into space for a moment before shaking it off. "Change of plan, then. Forget chick flicks; we are going out tonight!"

* * *

It was a bit awkward at first, since Ruby insisted on inviting Mary Margaret. But, as with everything now, the thought that nobody would even remember this tomorrow loosened Emma's restraint some.

And the tequila shots didn't hurt, either.

Even the tequila wasn't enough, however, to make her agree to join Ruby and Mary Margaret in dancing to crappy jukebox music in the middle of the Rabbit Hole.

Instead, she took a few turns at the pool tables, chatting with a tall, built guy named Russ that she would have climbed like a tree back in the day; today, for some reason, she wasn't the slightest bit tempted. But he wasn't bad at pool, and he was pretty funny (or maybe that was just the tequila), so she was enjoying herself.

After a while, she returned to where her mother and Ruby were sitting. It was kind of fun, really, listening to them talking about their adventures back in the Enchanted Forest. Emma knew some of them were in Henry's book, but there was a lot in there she'd never gotten around to reading.

They were doing another round of shots when Ruby grabbed her arm, almost spilling her drink.

"Ruby, what the hell?"

"He's here," Ruby hissed.

"Who's?" She scanned the room to see none other than Hook, making his way to the bar.

"Your pirate," Ruby said in a sing-song voice. "It must be fate."

" _Her_ pirate?"

Emma snorted, ignoring Mary Margaret's question, then downed her tequila. "Yeah, fate, or Granny got sick of his drunk ass taking up space at the counter."

"Wait, is he?" Mary Margaret asked.

"Well, if he's not, he should be, he's been drinking all day."

"No," her mother shook her head. "I mean, what … is he … are you?"

"Yes," Ruby nodded. "They want each other _bad_. Oh, shit, I shouldn't say that in front of your mom, I guess."

Emma laughed. "No big deal. I'll just distract her from that thought by mentioning the fact that you and Whale are totally banging."

"What? We're so not!"

"You so are," Emma argued, pushing herself to her feet. "It's sooooo obvious. Come on, admit it."

Mary Margaret gasped. "You and Dr. Whale? I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

Emma laughed to herself as she headed for the bar. That conversation should keep those two busy for quite a while, she thought, sliding onto a stool next to Hook.

"Granny kick you out?"

"Wretched woman," he complained, not seeming surprised at all to see her. "I thought we had come to an accord, but she said I was scaring people away."

Emma chuckled, waving at the bartender to get his attention.

"I figured it out, you know," Hook said. "What's different."

"Do tell."

"You were smiling at me, _flirting_ with me, Swan."

She ordered a beer, then turned to face him. "Took you long enough," she said. "Of course, to be fair, I'm a little rusty on the whole flirting thing."

"You could probably use a bit of practice," he agreed, sliding a little closer so one of his legs was between hers.

"Aye," she teased. "Maybe I should get lessons from a professional."

His eyes dropped to her lips as a finger curled around a lock of her hair. "Some intimate, one-on-one sessions, then?"

"Mmmm," she leaned a little closer and dropped one of her hands to a leather-clad thigh while the other toyed with his hook. "I'd put myself entirely in your hands, so to speak."

He flashed her a grin, which faded as he brushed his thumb along her cheek. "What exactly are we doing, Swan?"

"Well, you're the expert, but I believe it's called flirting."

"You know what I mean." He sighed. "I told Neal I would step back and allow him the chance to put his family back together."

"You —" She pulled back and folded her arms over her chest. "So I guess I have you to thank for the whole marriage proposal thing!"

"Marriage proposal?" Hook looked alarmed, and she thought it served him right.

"Yeah, you know, in Granny's when I …" She trailed off as she realized that wasn't _today_ today; it was yesterday, so he wouldn't remember. The alcohol was messing with her ability to keep it all straight, not that it was easy to begin with.

"What was your answer?"

"What was … what the hell do you think was my answer? Do you think I said, sure Neal, I'll marry you. Just let me go and crawl all over Hook for a bit first?"

"Emma, I'm sorry —"

She took a gulp of beer and glared at him. "Let me tell you something, pirate —"

Midnight.

Rewind.


	4. Chapter 4

Wednesday was a bitch.

And so was she.

Hook had deliberately stepped back to let Neal have his chance, all so he wouldn't be the reason another family broke up. He'd never told her, in so many words, the story of Milah, but she'd worked it out through things he and Neal had said. And it seemed like Hook was afraid of being the one to split up Henry's family.

She'd been angry about it the night before, but in the light of a new day — well, sort of — she realized it was just another way Hook was trying to be a man of honor.

Good form, and all that.

_It will be because you want me._

Emma sighed. That was the thing, though. She knew she didn't want Neal, but she wasn't sure if she could take a risk with her heart again. Still, now was the perfect time to test the waters a bit, to see if their chemistry could ever develop into anything.

And tomorrow nobody but her would even remember.

* * *

She decided her first order of business was to finish the trashy romance novel she'd started the day before.

She knew damn well she'd never get to go back for it later once things started moving again. If she was going to play hooky, she figured she might as well do as she pleased.

After she finished, she stayed curled up in her comfy spot in the library and spent a little time pondering what she should do with her pirate.

Lord knows, there were a lot of things she'd _like_ to do with Hook (sweaty, naked things, if she was going to be completely honest), but maybe a little harmless fun was in order. Maybe she could do something _else_ she'd wanted to do with Hook for a while now.

She picked Henry up for lunch and half-listened as he chattered away. After they'd settled in their seats and ordered, she excused herself to lean on the counter by Hook.

"Hey, Hook," she said casually, tummy churning a little as he turned those blue eyes on her. Damn, the man was attractive. "Can you do me a favor?"

"I live to serve, Swan."

"Is that sarcasm?" She shrugged it off. "Whatever. After lunch I have to take Henry back to Regina's, then I'm picking you up."

"What exactly do you require of me, then?"

She grinned. "You'll see."

* * *

"No way in hell."

"No?"

"There are limits to what I would do even for you, love."

"Are there, though?" Emma smiled sweetly and stepped closer, waving a hand a the storefront. "We don't have to buy anything, but you might find something you like."

"I _like_ my clothing now."

"Well, so do I," she said, slowly and deliberately taking in the way the leather molded to his body. She bit back a laugh as he swallowed hard and licked his lips. "But the truth is, I just kind of have this fantasy … I mean, I've always wanted to see what you'd look like in jeans."

She smiled smugly, knowing full well that she had him at the word "fantasy."

"Bloody hell."

* * *

To avoid traumatizing him any more, she picked out dark colors in everything. The clerk, who couldn't be more than 18, watched wide-eyed as they moved through the store. She said her name was Kim, and she probably was offering to help; it was hard to tell, because every time she looked at Hook, her words got scrambled. He sent her a wicked grin and asked if she was all right, and the poor girl literally fell over, tripping over her own feet.

"Stop that," Emma hissed as the embarrassed kid practically ran back to the counter.

"I did nothing," he protested.

"Please," she scoffed, shoving a deep red button-down into his arms. "She is just a kid; she can't handle the full-on Hook flirt."

He chuckled. "But you can handle it?"

"I have years of bullshit immunity built up," she said, scanning the racks. "I can deal with whatever you've got."

"I think I might like to test that theory," he said in her ear, and she jolted. He was standing much, much closer to her, eyeing her lips.

This time she was the one who swallowed hard, fighting the urge to lick her lips. Damn if she was going to let him win, though. She turned slightly so they were facing each other, as close as she could get while he had an armful of clothes, and brought her lips almost to his.

"Give it your best shot, pirate," she said.

Maybe she was a little more breathless than she'd have liked, but she was only human. She took some satisfaction in the way he sucked in a shaky breath himself.

She turned away and spoke briskly, like nothing had happened. "Okay, that's enough clothes for now. Let's find the changing rooms."

* * *

Hook was swearing up a storm in the changing room, and she was trying not to laugh listening to him. She considered herself pretty well-versed in the art of profanity, but he was putting her to shame. She'd never heard some of the terms he was using; she wasn't even sure what some of them _meant_.

"Bloody — Swan, I've had it with this."

She grinned and approached the door. "Are you decent?"

He snorted. "Very rarely, darling."

Rolling her eyes, she cautiously pushed the door open.

He seemed to have no problem with the jeans, and the dark denim sat just right on his hips, clung to his thighs and (she noticed in the mirror behind him) did fantastic things to his ass.

Damn, she knew he would wear the hell out of those.

He'd chosen (of course) a black button-down to try on, but it was just hanging open, giving her a tantalizing view of his chest.

She cleared her throat and wrenched her eyes up to his face. "What's the problem?"

"These blasted buttons," he said, tugging on his shirt tail. "The holes are too small."

"They're not too small," she said, stepping closer and grabbing both halves of the shirt front. She started with the third button from the top, slipping it into place before starting on the next one. Maybe it was totally unnecessary for her hand to actually touch his chest while buttoning his shirt, but, well, accidents happen, right?

"It's just a new shirt, so it's kind of tight. You've got to button it a few times, kind of work it in there so it fits just …" She trailed off as his hand moved over her hip, tugging her closer to him.

"Swan," he said hoarsely.

She looked up to meet his eyes, hands still tangled in his shirt. The way he was looking at her made her breath stutter and her brain go blank.

They stood, frozen like that, for what seemed like an eternity before they both moved, mouths crashing together. Hook sucked on her bottom lip until she moaned, then slipped his tongue in her mouth to tease hers. She twisted her arms around his neck and pulled him as close as possible, as he pushed her back against the wall, pressing his entire body into hers.

He kissed her like he couldn't get enough, and she knew the feeling. She started to hook one leg around his waist, chasing the friction she needed, and hummed into his mouth when he used his hand to anchor it there, grinding his growing hardness into her in the most wonderful way.

He broke away from her mouth to kiss his way over her jaw, down the column of her throat and zero in on the spot where her neck met her shoulder, sucking hard and drawing another loud moan from her.

"Is … is everything okay in there?"

Hook pulled back, breathing hard, and she wondered if she looked as dazed as he did.

"Um, sir?" the shop clerk sounded nervous. "Is there … can I get something for you?"

He was still looking out of it, so Emma punched him on the arm and motioned toward the door.

"Ehhh, no lass, I'm fine. I'm just about done." He cleared his throat. "Thank you for your concern."

_Yeah, thanks a million._

Emma closed her eyes and shook her head as they heard the girl moving away. They had been making out in a changing room like horny teenagers or something.

She clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh and opened her eyes to find Hook grinning at her. "I knew you couldn't handle it, Swan," he said.

* * *

She snuck out of the changing room, relieved to see the clerk was nowhere to be found again, and let Hook change.

When he came out of the cubicle, she snatched the jeans out of his arms. "We're getting these," she said.

"You like those, then?" He bit his lip and stepped closer. "Do they live up to your fantasy?"

She flashed back to the feel of him pinning her against the wall, hips moving against hers. "Oh yeah."

He smirked, then held up the black shirt. "I like this one as well."

"Done." She snatched the shirt from him and motioned to the rack in the changing room. "Hang the rest of them there."

She made her way to the register. Shopgirl was staring at her and blushing. Emma had avoided looking in the mirror, but she could imagine how she looked; it was no surprise the girl knew exactly what was going on in that changing room.

Emma shrugged. "We'll take these," she said, handing over her credit card as Hook came up beside her.

"You're buying my clothing?"

"I don't think they take gold doubloons," she said. "You can probably find a way to make it up to me."

The clerk choked, and Hook grinned. "Oh, I always pay my debts, love."

"Counting on it."

He wandered off as she finished up the sale. "Thanks," Emma said. "I wasn't sure if we'd find anything in Storybrooke."

"I'm sure there's much better shopping outside town," the clerk agreed softly. "If … you know, if you can leave."

_If you can leave._

Emma froze as an idea hit her, then signed the receipt quickly and pushed it back to the girl. She grabbed the bag and pulled Hook out of the store.

"Listen, Hook, there's something I have to do." She handed him the bag.

"Can I help?"

"No, it's … I can't really explain it right now. But it won't take long." She smiled at him, feeling suddenly awkward. "I could … if you want, I could come by your ship when I'm done?"

"Aye," he agreed. "I'd like that very much. We should probably talk."

She nodded, even though talking was the very last thing on her mind. "I'll see you in a bit, then," she said, then headed for her car.

* * *

She sped toward the town line, fingers rubbing absently over her lips.

She couldn't believe she hadn't thought to try leaving town; there was no telling if that would have any effect on the curse at all, but it was a simple thing that was worth trying.

Of course, if it worked, she'd have to deal with the consequences of … whatever it was that was going on between her and Hook. But that was a problem for (hopefully) another day.

If it didn't work, well, she couldn't think of one reason not to participate in some "enjoyable activities" with one Captain Hook.

God, kissing him was like lighting a match, and she was dying to feel the burn.

She saw the town line coming up and forced herself to focus on what she was doing. She wasn't sure if she would even know if anything changed when she crossed over or not, so she needed to pay attention and see if she noticed anything different.

Emma jerked suddenly, confused, as the car seemed to hit something solid. Her last thought before she lost consciousness was _I can never leave Storybrooke_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major thanks to OnceUponSomeChaos, who came aboard to edit the smut (sadly pushed to part 6) and found/fixed a huge issue with the story and made it a zillion times better.

Emma awoke with a start, heart racing.

She was alone in her room; the only thing she heard was her parents' muffled voices downstairs. Did she have a nightmare?

She took some deep breaths, trying to slow her heart, while she let everything filter into her brain. A quick glance at her phone told her she hadn't changed a thing by her kamikaze run at the town line. It was still Wednesday.

She had run straight into some kind of invisible barrier that prevented her from leaving her little Groundhog Day adventure.

Mary Margaret flipped on the radio and started singing with happiness again downstairs, and Emma groaned. What the hell was there to be so happy about, anyway?

Of course, aside from the accident, yesterday had been very interesting. Just thinking about Hook pinning her to the changing room wall gave her some happier thoughts.

She really needed to talk to Regina about a way to break this curse.

But she'd kind of had her heart set on having her way with Hook. She knew he had feelings for her, and she didn't want to end up hurting him, but right now she wanted him more than anything else, ever. If she didn't break the curse it would all be forgotten tomorrow. She could, in a sense, have her cake and eat it, too. So would one more missing day really make a difference?

* * *

She took her time getting ready, showering and putting on her favorite lotion. She curled her hair, which she hadn't taken the time to do in ages, and spent a ridiculous amount of time debating her choice of underwear.

She laughed at herself, trying to decide what undies Captain Hook would prefer, then decided on black lace. He certainly seemed to like the color, and it was hard to go wrong with a classic.

She chose fairly normal clothes: jeans and a dark blue pullover. There was no need to announce to the town that Emma Swan was trying to get laid, after all.

Still, Mary Margaret complimented her and wondered aloud if she was meeting someone special today.

She knew her mother meant Neal, but she just smiled mysteriously and refused to answer.

Let Mary Margaret think what she wanted.

* * *

She felt a little like a fugitive as she hovered outside Granny's waiting for Neal to leave. He finally took off a few minutes before she needed to pick up Henry, so she rushed inside and waved Granny over.

"I need to rent a room," she said.

"Oh?" Granny peered at her curiously. "Something wrong with your own place?"

_Yeah, I want to bang Hook like a drum, but I think my parents might object._

"I just need a little alone time," Emma said. "My parents can be a bit much, you know? And since they're really wanting another baby … you know, just between us."

"Really?" Granny's eyes lit up, and Emma tried not to wince. She figured half the town would know about her parents' baby-making attempts within the next hour. Well, sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, and that bit of gossip took the pressure off her for the moment. If she had to throw her parents to the wolves (so to speak) to get a little privacy, it was easy enough to use her newfound excuse for everything: they wouldn't remember it tomorrow anyway.

She paid Granny and pocketed the key, smirking at Hook as she rushed out of the diner. Let him wonder what she was up to; he'd find out soon enough.

* * *

She loved her son more than anything, but lunch was pure torture.

She tried to make conversation, but it was hard to focus when she kept looking over at Hook. He caught her several times, and when their eyes met all she could think about was his mouth on hers, his body pressed tight to hers.

Talk about distracting.

Maybe it was time to spread the torture around a bit.

When Henry was nearly finished, she excused herself and went over to Hook.

"Can I talk to you for a second?"

She steered him toward the back of the diner. When they were out of earshot for anyone, she tucked the room key into his hand.

"What's this?"

"That's a key to the room I rented for the day," she said, matter-of-factly. "I'm going to take Henry home, and when I come back, I want you to meet me there."

He turned the key over in his palm. "Swan?" he spoke slowly. "What's the meaning of this?"

"I believe you promised me some fun, Hook, and I intend to hold you to it," she whispered. "All. Day. Long."

She grinned at his stunned look when her meaning sunk in, then went back to join her son.

* * *

She made record time taking Henry back to Regina's, completely disregarding any and all traffic laws. It's not like she was going to arrest herself for blowing the speed limit all to hell.

A quick goodbye (while she considered the possibility that she was actually the worst mother in the world), and she was off and back at Granny's in a flash.

She sat in the car, scanning the street to make sure the coast was clear before slipping into the bed & breakfast. She was knocking softly at the door to the room before it even occurred to her to wonder if Hook had even shown up.

What if he just thought she was messing with him? What if he thought this wasn't the honorable thing to do? What if this is not at all what he meant by fun? What the hell was fun in the Enchanted Forest, anyway?

She didn't have long to worry, though, as he pulled the door open and stared at her as though he was surprised _she_ had shown up.

When he didn't seem inclined to move, or even say a word, she pushed her way into the room and closed the door behind her, falling back against it.

After a full minute of silence, she finally decided to say something. "Hi."

"Swan." He stepped slightly back from her, sending a glance toward the bed before leaning on a dresser on the adjoining wall. "What's this about?"

"This is about …" She considered how much to tell him. "Did you know, I never get a day off? Every day, I'm running around putting out fires and jumping worlds and just trying to keep my family and my town together. I never get to do what I want. I guess maybe that sounds selfish —"

"No," he interrupted. "It's not selfish to take time for yourself, love. You deserve happiness, too. You deserve everything, but I'm not sure …"

"Look," she said, when it didn't seem like he was going to finish. "I know you told Neal you're going to back off or whatever. You're just trying to do the honorable thing, and that's great, but it is over between Neal and me. All we have is a crappy history and a pretty awesome kid. That's it."

He stepped toward her, and she saw the hope flaring in his eyes. "So, this is …?"

"This," she said firmly, stripping off her coat and throwing it into the corner, "is me, taking a day off. Doing what I want, with the person I want to be with. You _did_ promise me fun, didn't you?"

"That I did." She watched a smile curve across his face.

"Well, going back on your word would be very bad form, Hook."

He blocked her against the door, hand and hook on either side. "Are you sure, Emma?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't sure," she smiled at him. "But if you're not —"

Then he was kissing her, deep and wet and soft, so different from the day before but somehow just as intense. Her hands gripped his shoulders and then slid into his thick hair, pulling him closer as his hooked arm curved around her back, holding her tight. His hand moved to palm her breast over her shirt, thumb teasing her nipple through the thin fabric.

She panted, frustrated by the barrier between them. Pushing him back a step, she yanked her top over her head to give him better access. His eyes darkened as he took in the black lace cradling her breasts, and he brushed his fingers over the top edge of the bra, drawing a shiver out of her.

She reached behind her to undo the clasp, gasping as he suddenly spun her around. "I like this garment," he said. Warm fingers brushed her back for a moment before the clasp popped free. His warm breath moved down her back until his lips traced over the place where it had been fastened.

"Bra," she managed as he swept her hair to the side and kissed his way up her spine.

He hummed, lips ghosting over the back of her neck. "I've imagined this, Swan. I've imagined you," he said, and she shivered at his breath on her skin. "But I must say, you've surprised me. I didn't expect you to choose me so … enthusiastically."

She swallowed hard as he turned her back around, drawing the bra off her shoulders and dropping it. With nothing in the way, he returned to touching her, skin on skin, and she threw her head back against the door when he bent and took one nipple in his mouth.

_God, the mouth on this man._

She tried to lose herself in the sensations, to push back the guilt that suddenly twisted in her gut, but the memories of Neverland were too strong: his face, the sincerity when he talked of winning her heart.

" _It won't be because of any trickery; it will be because you want me."_

Dammit, she _did_ want him, but he wanted so much more than sex, more than she was ready to give him. Even if he wouldn't remember tomorrow, she would know that she'd used him — _tricked_ him — and she found she just couldn't do it.

With an annoyed groan, she pushed him away. "Stop. Just … we have to stop."

"Swan?"

God, the mix of confusion and arousal on his face upped the guilt by about a thousand, but she knew she was doing the right thing.

"You said you were sure," he said slowly. "Did I … have I done something wrong?"

"No! No, I am sure … I _was_ sure." She bent and picked up her top, pulling it back over her head. "I just … there's something I have to tell you."

"Tell me, then," he said, reaching out for her.

She shook her head and waved him off. Touching him right now would be the worst idea ever; it would be so easy to change her mind and jump him anyway. "No, you need to stand over there. Just … you know, just stay right there."

She backed away to the opposite side of the bed, fidgeting while she tried to find the words. "Look, I haven't been totally honest with you. The truth is, we're under some kind of curse or spell or something. I know it sounds crazy, but since Regina stopped Pan's curse the other day …"

"Yesterday," he supplied, frowning.

"Um, not exactly. It's been, I don't know, a week now?" She bit her lip nervously, then forged ahead. "What I'm trying to say is, we've all been living the same day over and over, and I'm the only one who knows it. I got tired of trying — and failing — to fix it, and I decided to just do whatever I wanted for a few days, so I don't go crazy from it all."

He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, leaning against the dresser again. "So, you're saying, you wished to be with me and then, what? Pretend it never happened?"

She shouldn't be surprised that he'd caught on so quickly. She was, after all, and open book to him.

"All the fun, none of the consequences," she said, her voice quiet. "But then, I realized, I couldn't do that to you. Other than that ridiculous blacksmith lie when we first met, you've always been honest with me, and I don't want to lie to you."

Silence stretched between them to a painful point, and she scrambled to pick up her bra, stuffing it in her pocket. "Anyway," she said quickly, "now that I've made a complete ass of myself, I'll be going. I'm really sorry, you know, even if you won't …" She fumbled for the doorknob. "You won't remember this tomorrow."

She pulled the door open, stumbling a little when Hook slammed it closed, hand and hook again on either side of her. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead on the door. She wanted to work up some anger at him for pinning her in, but her frustration was all turned inward at the moment.

"You'll not give me a chance to have my say, then?" he asked evenly, mouth close to her ear. His breath skating over her raised goosebumps that she fought to ignore.

"Wasn't planning to, no," she said.

"Lucky, then, that I'm a pirate," he said, turning her around to face him. "Generally, I just take what I want."

"Hook —"

"Shhh." He cupped her face and slid his thumb over her bottom lip. His blue, blue eyes bore into hers, and the desire she saw there stole her breath. "I meant what I said, Emma. I've been wanting this. Did you mean what you said?"

"What?"

"That I'm the person you want to be with?"

"Y-yes, but Hook, you won't even remember."

"No, I won't." The smile he gave her was predatory, and her desire returned, pushing her guilt right out the door, down the road and into another ZIP code. "But _you_ will. You'll remember every bloody moment."

She started to say something, but she lost the words when he kissed her again, as if trying to imprint himself on her with his lips, tongue and teeth. She hesitated for a moment before throwing herself into the kiss; he'd made his choice, and she would remember it enough for both of them.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I'm a smut-writing newbie, OnceUponSomeChaos was nice enough to beta this (even though it contains her biggest pet peeve of all, LOL). If it still sucks, it is despite her best efforts. Note that the rating has gone up! If smut isn't your cup of tea, I suggest jumping to the last section, which will hit the highlights before the next part.

Hook didn't give her a chance to catch her breath, pressing her firmly against the door with his body as he pulled back from the kiss, nipping her bottom lip. She gripped his shoulders as his lips skated down her neck. His hand slipped under her shirt, sliding across her skin, back to front, before tugging at the hem.

Breathing hard, she helped him pull it over her head and sent it sailing again. Instead of touching her right away, he paused and mapped her bare skin with his eyes like he was trying to memorize her. Her stomach twisted again, but she shook it off, grabbing his hand and bringing it to her breast.

"Touch me," she said softly.

"Patience, love," he said, smirking, cupping his hand around her breast before lowering his mouth again to the other.

As he laved one breast, and then the other, she dragged her nails over his shoulders, finally pushing him back and impatiently tugging his coat off, tossing it on the floor. She opened the few clasps he actually had fastened on his shirt and ran her hands up his firm chest under the fabric, circling her thumbs around his nipples.

She pulled him into another kiss, as he backed her toward the bed, giving her a gentle shove onto the mattress. She inched back on the bed, motioning for him to join her. He shook his head, tugging off her boots and making quick work of her jeans, leaving her in nothing but her black lace panties.

"Emma," he whispered. "My Swan. Gods, you're beautiful."

She shook her head, more at the idea of being called _his_ anything than at the compliment. She couldn't recall if any man had ever looked at her the way he was, like she was precious, and it thrilled and terrified her at the same time.

He knelt next to her on the bed, running his hand up her thigh, and she shivered at the contrast of his warm, callused flesh and the cool, smooth rings. She held her breath as he trailed the curve of his hook gently up the other thigh, grazing her core through her panties and slipping just under the top edge of the fabric. Smirking up at her, he yanked, ripping the lace off her body.

"Hook," she said, her voice wavering, "you are wearing too many clothes."

She reached for his pants, but he batted her hands away. "Not yet, love."

"But —" Any argument she was about to make went straight out of her head as he touched her center, fingers teasing her folds.

"So wet for me, Emma," he said, his voice thick, his heated gaze focused on where he touched her. "You're bloody amazing."

It suddenly occurred to her that she had very much lost control of this situation.

Not that she was complaining.

He pulled away and settled over her, bracing himself on his arms, and kissed her, mouth trailing down her neck and returning to her breasts. She arched into him and clutched at his shoulders as he slowly moved down her body, laying hot, open-mouthed kisses between her breasts, over her belly and her hip, along her thighs, so close to where she wanted him but never quite there. He murmured words against her skin, too quietly for her to hear, and she was almost glad she couldn't.

"Hook," she moaned, trying to tilt her hips _just so_ to get him to touch her or kiss her or for God's sake _do something_ where she needed him.

He huffed out a laugh, and his breath alone made her shiver. He pulled her hips near the edge and draped her legs over his shoulders as he knelt beside the bed. His hooked arm rested across her belly as he licked her in one long, slow path, tongue barely grazing her clit. Before she could even get out the whimper forming in her throat, he slipped a finger inside her, curling it just right before pulling it out and adding another.

"Have you wanted this as I have?" he asked roughly, mouthing at her inner thigh, making her hiss as he nipped hard at the skin. "Remember me, love; remember this."

She couldn't even form a response because of the way his fingers slid inside her. Just when she decided nothing had ever felt so good, he made it even better, tonguing circles around her sensitive bundle of nerves. She twisted one hand in the quilt under her and one hand in his hair, her breath coming in pants and hips bucking under his arm as he sucked hard, right where she wanted him, fingers still curving inside her. Before she knew what was happening, she was over the edge, Hook's mouth still on her, soothing her as she came back down.

"Holy shit," she murmured, when she finally found her voice. She forced herself to release her death grip on his hair and started to sit up.

With a self-satisfied smirk, he slid a final kiss over the bite on her thigh, then helped her settle back on the bed. She watched under hooded eyes as he stood, shedding his shirt and twisting off the hook, tossing it aside. She supported herself on her elbows and watched as he hesitated over the arm brace.

"Keep it on if you'd rather," she said softly. "But I'd like to see all of you."

After another moment's hesitation, he slipped the buckles off and let the brace fall, too. He was out of his boots and pants in no time, returning to her side. She licked her lips, eyes running over him. He was beautiful, really; his muscled form spoke of hard work rather than hours in a gym, and a scattering of scars reflected years of hardship. She wanted to know each and every one, to touch and taste them and hear the stories behind them. To know _him_. He seemed to hover beside her, uncertain, so she sat up and grabbed his necklace, pulling him closer. She itched to touch him all over, but she started by trailing her hand down his bad arm.

Her fingers gently traced the scars along the stump, and she sighed, feeling his head tilt into hers. "Does it hurt?"

"Not for years."

She didn't know what to say. _I'm sorry that happened to you_ sounded lame even in her head, so instead of saying anything, she cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss. It was sweet, chaste even, which seemed ridiculous considering his face and fingers had just been buried between her thighs.

"Emma," he murmured. "Emma …"

She knew how he felt, even if he'd never said the words, but she was suddenly desperate to avoid hearing them. He would forget it all tomorrow, but she never would. "Don't overthink this, Hook," she said. "Don't … just be with me."

"I think, considering the circumstances, you might call me by my given name," he said.

It was a simple request, but there was something so intense about the moment. She was overwhelmed; it was all more than she felt she could handle. "What was that, again?" she asked lightly. "Howard? Bob? Methuselah?"

"Swan."

"Hmmm, no, that's _my_ name," she teased, leaning back on the bed and dragging him down after her by his necklace again, settling him between her legs. "Of course I remember your name, Killian Jones."

She sucked his bottom lip, releasing it to brush a kiss over his mouth. His breath stuttered as she reached down to stroke his hard length, thumbing over the tip. "Are you all talk, or what, pirate? I need you inside me now, _Killian_. Give me something else to remember."

With a growl, he pushed her hand away, and she bit her lip as she felt him slide over her wet folds before pushing ever so slowly inside. Inch by glorious inch he stretched and filled her, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him even deeper.

_Damn, that's perfect_ , she thought, leaning her forehead against his.

"Yes," he agreed, gritting his teeth, and she realized she'd actually said that out loud. "Bloody hell, Emma, you're so tight."

She trembled, nails digging into his shoulders, waiting for him to move. "Hook, please."

"Emma, look at me," he said, his voice low and rough. Almost against her will, her eyes rose to his, and she gasped at the intensity. It was like her most secret thoughts and feelings were bared to him. "Tomorrow, when you see me in that diner, I want you to think of this. Remember what it felt like to have me deep inside you."

She moaned. Damn it, she would remember, whether she wanted to or not. She couldn't forget if she tried. She slid her hands into his hair and pulled him into a desperate kiss as he began to move inside her.

He started with long, slow thrusts, but soon her whispers of _"more, more"_ had him building speed, hitting her even deeper, stealing her breath. She tightened her legs around him and tried to meet his thrusts, clutching at his shoulders. Her entire world narrowed to where their bodies were joined, and she felt a wave of heat building inside her.

"Ohgodohgodohgod _Killian._ " She was so close; she let go of one of his shoulders to reach down and touch herself. He cursed roughly as his movements became more erratic, and she knew he was nearly there, too.

Their eyes met and held; she wanted to look away from his intense gaze but couldn't. _Remember me_ , it said. _Remember this._

With a cry, she came hard, vaguely aware of him pumping into her once, twice more before following her, her name on his lips.

* * *

Later, when her heartbeat slowed and her brain was more-or-less functioning again, she turned and curled her body into his, dropping a kiss on his shoulder.

"I find it hard to believe that I won't remember this," he said, slowly rubbing circles on her back.

"Well, you don't remember how we made out yesterday."

"Oh? So, you've used me for sex before, Swan?" he said, that damn eyebrow popping up.

"Not sex, just kissing and stuff," she said, pinching him lightly in the side, laughing as he twisted away. So Hook was ticklish? This was important information to file away. "Anyway, that was totally not planned. It was your fault for looking so hot in the jeans I made you try on."

He put his arm around her and snuggled her closer. "When you break the curse, will you tell me about this?"

She froze, looking up at him. "I don't … I don't know."

He nodded, like that was the answer he expected. Disappointment flashed across his face before it was gone, replaced with a cocky grin. "I suppose I'll just have to work a little harder to be memorable, then."

"Oh, you're very memorable," she said, trying like hell to keep things light. She dragged her nails through the hair on his chest, circling them on the skin below his belly button. She flicked her tongue over his nipple and smiled as his breath hitched. "But the key to remembering _anything_ is repetition."

* * *

She knew it was nearly midnight, but she didn't want to look at the clock.

Hook lay spooned behind her, his breath on her neck. _Who would have thought Captain Hook was a cuddler?_

She couldn't sleep, and she knew he was awake, too, savoring every moment they had before the clock turned back. They had spent all day in bed, with an intermission when he'd ducked over into Granny's Diner to pick up some dinner. Given how utterly debauched he had looked at the time — clothes and hair mussed, mouth swollen and a blooming hickey on his neck — she'd be surprised if half the town didn't know what they'd been up to all day. She couldn't bring herself to care, though. That was the best damn grilled cheese sandwich of her life (to say nothing of the amazing sex), and tomorrow, nobody would remember any of it anyway.

Not even Hook.

She sighed.

All she'd wanted was a day free from consequences, only to discover that she _wanted_ the consequences. Okay, maybe she didn't want the townsfolk knowing about her sex life, but she wanted like hell for Hook to remember all of this tomorrow.

Almost as much as _he_ wanted to remember.

Sometime between that first deep kiss and the last one, which he'd brushed against her hair as he cuddled into her, she'd realized that she wanted a lot more from Killian Jones than a day in bed. She wanted _everything_ , and there was no point in even telling him that, because tomorrow he'd still be back to drinking himself into a stupor and staring at her when he thought she wasn't looking.

She pushed closer to him and linked her fingers with his, finally stealing a glance at the clock.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"Almost midnight."

11:59, to be exact.

He cursed and tightened his arms around her. "Emma, I want you to know, I —"

"Please," she whispered, appalled to find that there was a tear running down her cheek. "Please don't say it."

She could feel him nod, then press another kiss into her hair.

She sighed again.

Midnight.

Rewind.


	7. Chapter 7

Wednesday dawned bright and cheerful as always.

Emma Swan was _not_ so bright and cheerful.

In fact, she was strongly considering the possibility of staying in bed for the rest of the day. And not in a good way.

If she pulled the covers over her head and shut out the world, maybe she could ignore the depressing series of facts looming over her.

Fact One: This freaking day would not stop repeating.

Fact Two: Her only hope of stopping it was a woman who didn't take her seriously and pretty much hated her.

Fact Three: Her attempt at having a consequence-free day of "enjoyable activities" with Hook was a massive, epic failure because

Fact Four: She was in love with Hook.

Groaning, she did pull the covers — and a pillow — over her head, silently screaming into the pillow as Mary Margaret sang cheerfully downstairs.

She. Was. In Love. With Hook.

She wasn't sure exactly when or how it happened, though truthfully she should have known in Neverland, in Dark Hollow. She'd been afraid for Neal when the shadows attacked, sure, but the almost-paralyzing fear she'd felt while watching Hook's shadow being torn from him was a mirror to the feeling of watching Henry collapse after eating the poisoned tart.

Magic was fueled by emotion, and the sheer terror she'd felt could probably have sparked a whole forest fire instead of just the candle she'd held. It was probably nothing but dumb luck that prevented her from setting herself ablaze at the same time.

Still, she'd pushed the feeling down, burying it in anger at both of the men for the stupid lighter stunt. Henry had to be her sole focus, and she couldn't afford to be distracted by anything or anyone.

But her day with him, _being loved_ by him, had unearthed all the feelings she'd kept buried. A whole day in bed with the man she loved, with nothing to show for it. She should feel something, should feel sore and used in all the right ways, should be marked by him. But it was like that day never happened, and the only marks he'd left were inside where nobody could see.

_Good lord, I am pathetic._

She sighed and threw off the covers. Wallowing in bed all day was not going to get her what she wanted. It was time to end this damn curse for good.

* * *

She rushed to get ready and called her parents together downstairs.

"All right," she said quickly when they were seated across from her at the table. "Two things. First of all, I want to tell you that there is no way I'm ever going to get back together with Neal. I know you want me to give him a chance, but if you knew everything that happened with us, you wouldn't be so thrilled with the idea. I really don't want to get into it all right now, but I just need you to trust me."

The loft was silent as her parents exchanged a long look, having one of their silent conversations before turning back to her in synch.

"Okay," Mary Margaret said simply. "We only want your happiness, Emma."

Emma laughed at herself. All the anger and angst she'd expended on this, all the frustration over Mary Margaret pushing her toward Neal, and all she'd had to do was just tell them how she felt, and it was _okay_?

Talk about making things harder than they had to be.

"Okay," she echoed. She figured if she was going to be honest, she might as well go big. "Um, it's not really one of the two things, but on a related note … I think I'm in love with Hook."

"WHAT?" David stood up, planting his hands on the table. "We are talking about the _pirate_ , right?"

_All righty, apparently honesty only goes so far._

"I thought you liked him now," Emma said.

"Well, I do, but …"

"But?" Mary Margaret prompted, obviously holding back a smile.

He sighed and sat back down. "But she's my little girl," he said sheepishly.

Emma smiled. She was nobody's "little girl," but she had to admit it kind of warmed her that her father was so protective of her.

"I love him," she said gently. It seemed strange to say, and she probably should have told _him_ first, but somehow it made her feel better to say it out loud.

Her mother smiled and rubbed David's shoulder. "Charming," she said softly. He turned to her, and they had another one of their silent conversations.

"All right," he said after a moment. "Moving on. What was the second thing?"

"This one is going to sound a little crazy."

"Crazier than you being in love with Hook?" David asked, suddenly yelping as his wife punched him in the arm and Emma kicked him under the table.

Rolling her eyes, Emma filled them in on the time loop as quickly as she could.

"I know it sounds crazy." She turned to Mary Margaret. "Eventually you'll believe me, but to save time I'm supposed to tell you that your favorite toy as a child was a pink rabbit that you named Chicken."

"A rabbit named Chicken?"

Mary Margaret elbowed David. "Don't mock; I was 4."

"Deja vu," Emma muttered.

"I take it we've had this conversation before?" her father asked.

"Thankfully, just once," she said. "Anyway, I need to go talk to Regina and see if she knows a way to end it. This time, I'm not leaving until I make her believe me."

"We could go with you," Mary Margaret offered.

"No, she's really not feeling well, and having all of us descend on her might make her even less inclined to help. I just wanted to tell you so you can be ready in case I need your help to fix it."

David reached out and took her hand. "Whatever you need, Emma. We're right here."

* * *

Emma headed for Regina's with a smile on her face.

All this time, and she was still trying to get used to having parents, people who supported her. It was all a little overwhelming, but also pretty great.

Tink greeted her at the door.

"I need to see Regina."

"Can it wait?" the fairy asked. "She's really not well at the moment."

Emma frowned. She'd never had a problem getting in to see Regina before. "It really can't wait," she said. "I'm sorry, but I have to talk to her."

"Mom," Henry came up behind Tinker Bell. "I don't think I can go to lunch. My … my mom is really sick."

Now she was getting alarmed. This was definitely not how it went the last time.

"I need to see her," she told Tink. " _Now_."

* * *

The sight of Regina, sickly pale with dark circles under her eyes, was a shock. Emma sank down on the bed beside her, ignoring the mayor's annoyed groan.

"You look terrible," she whispered.

"The Charming gene obviously skipped a generation," Regina said, but there was no energy, no snap in her voice.

Emma swallowed hard, then called for Tinker Bell and Henry. They should all hear what she had to say.

"When you broke Pan's curse, something happened," she said, glancing at the other two before looking back at Regina. "Something is wrong. We have been living the same day over again since. For over a week now. I'm the only one who knows."

"You're just now telling us this?" Tink asked.

"No, I told Regina before, and she didn't believe me," Emma said. "The thing is, the last time I was here, Regina was exhausted and in bed, but she had enough energy to sit up and sass me before she sent me away. Her health is the only thing I know of that has changed this whole time. It has to be related."

She bit her lip and considered whether to confess the truth. "I'm really sorry," she said finally. "The last couple of days, I haven't even tried to fix anything. I've just been screwing around; I didn't realize anything was wrong with you."

"You can fix it, though, right?" Henry asked hopefully, settling on the other side of the bed.

Regina and Tinker Bell exchanged a look that gave Emma a very, very bad feeling.

"What? What is it?"

Tink sighed. "Something has completely drained Regina's magic. And since her magic is gone, it is draining …" She glanced at Henry before continuing. "It's draining her life force instead."

"If we don't fix this …" Regina rasped.

"Well, we _will_ fix it," he said. "That's what we do."

"Henry's right," Emma said briskly; she'd never admit her own doubts. What the hell did she even know about magic, anyway? "Do you have any idea what's causing the time loop?"

"I'm not sure," Regina said. "But I think it's … somehow, an echo of the original curse. When we first came here, it felt to me like I was reliving the same day over and over, too."

"Okay, so how would we undo this?" She looked from Regina to Tink.

"The only person who would know for sure is the one who created the curse in the first place," Regina said. "And I have no idea how to contact him."

"Gold," Emma said, nodding. "But … he's dead, right?"

Regina shrugged, then sighed. "I don't think he is, but I can't know for sure. Even if I did, I don't have the magic I'd need to contact him."

"What about the Blue Fairy?" Emma asked Tink. "Would she have any answers?"

"Maybe," Tink said. "But the curse was dark magic, so …"

"There's one thing that breaks any curse," Henry said. "True Love's Kiss!"

_Out of the mouths of babes._

She exchanged a look with Regina and saw that she wasn't the only one who'd overlooked the obvious.

"Come here, kid," she said, and he crawled over the bed.

She twisted toward him and cupped his face, focusing on just how much she loved him before brushing a kiss over his forehead.

Nothing happened.

She frowned and looked at Regina. "Well, it was your spell, maybe you have to …"

Henry climbed over the edge of the bed and crouched beside Regina. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

Nothing, again.

"Why won't it work?" Emma asked, frustrated. "It worked last time."

Regina shrugged. "Magic can be a tricky thing," she said, her voice tired. "And there's more than one kind of true love."

"Of course!" Henry said excitedly. "My dad!"

"What?" Emma did not like where this was going.

"You have to kiss my dad," he said.

"Henry …"

"It'll be just like Snow White and Prince Charming," he said, beaming.

"I don't …" Emma trailed off, sighing. "Okay, kid. We'll find Neal."

"I'll go call him and find out where he is." Henry rushed from the room.

"You know," Tinker Bell said softly, "it's not going to work."

"I know," Emma said. "But … I think maybe it'll be good for Henry to see that. Neal, too, for that matter."

"Just don't waste too much time with him," Regina snapped, a little strength back in her voice. "You know who you have to kiss."

"Hook," Tink said helpfully, just in case Emma didn't get it.

"Thanks for the tip," she said. "The thing is, I _have_ kissed him, and it hasn't broken the curse."

"But you love him," Tink said. It wasn't a question.

_At this point, half the town will know before he does._

"Yes," she said. "I guess I do."

"If you're having trouble admitting it, True Love's Kiss won't work," the fairy said. "Don't hold back, Emma. It's the only way to stop this."

* * *

Neal was still at Granny's, as it turned out. He met them out front, and Emma quickly scanned the street to see what kind of audience they would have. It looked like the coast was clear, so she planned to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"So, what's up?" Neal asked. "Henry wouldn't say."

"You have to kiss her," Henry said. "We need a True Love's Kiss to stop a curse."

"What curse?"

"Never mind," Emma said. "Just, you know, lay one on me."

Neal laughed. "This is a joke, right?"

"It's no joke," Henry said seriously. "There's a curse; we're stuck in a time loop. Like 'Groundhog Day.' Now, kiss her!"

Emma stepped closer to Neal, pushing back her discomfort. It was weird enough to kiss him now, knowing she was in love with someone else; with Henry watching it was a thousand times more awkward.

Neal, surprisingly, wasn't leaning toward her. He'd just asked her to marry him the other day, but he seemed just as uncomfortable as she was; she thought that was a good sign. Even if he didn't fully realize it, a part of him surely knew their relationship was strictly in the past. Still, they had to get this over with, so she grabbed his collar and pulled him into a kiss.

It was nice, she supposed.

No magic, of course, no fireworks. No flutter in the pit of her stomach like she used to get when she kissed him.

After a moment, they both pulled away.

"Well," he said.

"Yeah," she said.

They both turned to look at Henry, who was clearly disappointed.

"I thought it would work," he said quietly.

"Sorry, kid," Emma said, stepping closer and pulling him into a hug. She glanced at Neal, who still stood where she'd left him. "There are different kinds of love."

Her former love winced, then turned to smile at both of them. "Henry, just because your mom and I aren't together doesn't mean we can't be a family."

"That's right," she said. "We —" She broke off as David burst out of Granny's Diner.

"Emma, I think we have a problem."

"What now?"

"Am I right that you were trying … True Love's Kiss?" He glanced at Neal.

"Um, yeah. Henry thought it might break the curse."

"Right. Well, a certain pirate happened to look out the window right when you were … trying that," David said.

"Dammit," she said, heading for the door.

What had she been thinking to kiss Neal right in front of the damn diner? She'd just wanted to get the kiss with Neal out of the way so they could _all_ move on; she hadn't even thought about anything else.

"He went out the back," David said. "He's long gone."

* * *

When she made it to the docks, the Jolly Roger was gone, too.

_Emma, you are an idiot._

She settled on the nearest bench to wait, hoping he'd make it back in time. Waiting gave her plenty of time to replay her own stupidity in her head. God, what must Hook have thought, seeing her kiss Neal like that?

David found her there two hours later, dropping onto the bench next to her.

"You going to sit here all day?"

She shrugged. "I literally have nothing better to do."

He nodded, and they sat in companionable silence for a while before she finally felt the need to say something. "I don't even know if it will work."

"True Love's Kiss?"

"Yeah. I mean, I don't know anything about love, much less True Love. I just … it's the only thing I know of to try. And if I don't break this curse soon, it will kill Regina."

David sighed, putting his arm around her and dropping a kiss in her hair. "Henry filled us in on all of it; Snow's with Regina now. Emma, I hate it that the burden always falls on you, but I want you to know, we believe in you. If there's a way to break this curse, you will find it. Even if it's … you know …"

"Sucking face with a pirate?" she supplied with a small smile.

"Yeah, that." He sighed. "Look, I've asked the dwarves to keep an eye out for the Jolly Roger. You don't have to sit here all day."

He stood and held out a hand; after a moment she followed suit and let him lead her away from the docks.

* * *

Hook hadn't come back.

Everyone was gathered at Regina's house; she hadn't gotten worse, but she also hadn't improved. People were shuffling around the kitchen, making food nobody wanted to eat and talking in low voices; to Emma it seemed a little too much like they were all waiting for Regina to die.

The longer she paced around the house, the more weighed down by responsibility she felt. She managed to slip away after 11 and make her way back to the docks.

She knew he wasn't coming back in time, but she still sat, shivering on a bench and watching the water.

"Damn it, Hook," she grumbled. "Get your ass back here already."

Truthfully, it was too close to midnight to matter, even if she did see his ship. She pulled out her phone and stared at the clock, willing the numbers to advance. She'd never wished for midnight to come so quickly before. Tomorrow, she would do this right. It might be her last chance to fix things, and a lot more than her mess of a love life was at stake.

_Come on, come on, reset._

Midnight.

Rewind.


	8. Chapter 8

She woke to the sound of her phone.

Emma's eyes caught on the oversized numbers on her clock: 8:05. For a moment, she froze, wondering if the curse had somehow been broken. This was the first time she'd been awake before 9:20 since the loop started. But a glance at her phone told her that, no, it was still Wednesday.

And Henry was calling.

"Henry, what's wrong?"

"It's my mom," Henry said. "She won't wake up!"

Emma rolled out of bed and pulled a pair of jeans out of her dresser. "Okay, Henry, I want you to call Doctor Whale and ask him to come by. I think I know what's wrong with her, but we should have him check her out just in case. We'll be right there."

She threw on some clothes and brushed her teeth, shoving her hair back into a ponytail on her way downstairs.

"Mary Margaret, David! We've got to go. Regina's in trouble."

To their credit, they immediately dropped what they were doing and grabbed their coats.

"What's going on?" David asked.

"I'll explain on the way."

* * *

She did her best to explain the situation in the quickest way possible as she drove, tacking on the story about Mary Margaret's favorite toy just to speed things along.

"A rabbit named Chicken?" David asked.

"Don't judge —"

"She was 4," Emma finished with a sigh.

She was going to be batshit crazy if she didn't stop this time loop soon.

* * *

Whale was already there by the time they arrived; as Emma had suspected, he didn't know what was wrong with Regina. He suggested taking her to the hospital, but Tinker Bell shook her head.

"The cause is magical," she said. "I don't know how it's happening, but medicine won't fix it."

Emma stood over the mayor, listening as the doctor left, telling them to call him if anything changed. Regina was as pale as death and breathing shallowly. She looked like she was sleeping, maybe haunted by bad dreams. She kicked herself for wasting so much time; if Regina died, she would blame herself. But she wasn't going to let that happen.

Clearing her throat, she turned to face everyone and explained the mess for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"The only thing we know that might work is True Love's Kiss," she finished. "Henry asked me to try it with Neal yesterday, but I knew it wouldn't work." She looked at him apologetically. "And it didn't. I'm sorry, kid."

"What about kissing Henry?" Mary Margaret asked. "That broke the curse last time."

She shook her head. "Regina and I both tried; it didn't work."

"There is one more possibility," Emma said, taking a deep breath and finishing in a rush. "I'm going to kiss Hook."

"Hook?" David said. "Are you serious?"

"I know love when I see it," Tink said, nodding. "And they have it. It's our best chance."

Emma bit back a laugh as she watched David struggle with this new (as far as he knew) information. He looked like he wanted to argue but finally just shook his head.

"All right. What should we do?"

"I want you two to track down the Blue Fairy," she told her parents. "Find out if she can help, in case this doesn't work. Henry, I want you and Tink to stay here with Regina; if there's any change at all, give me a call. I'm going to find Hook and give this a try."

"No," Henry said.

She sighed. "Henry, I know you wanted Neal and I to get back together, but —"

"No," he said again. "I mean, I did want that, but if the kiss didn't work. … What I mean is, you have to _believe_ it's going to work. If you really love the captain, then you have to believe."

Believing in love — hell, believing in anything — was not Emma Swan's strong suit. Still, she nodded at her son and caught him up in a hug. He was the Truest Believer, after all. She was going to have to trust him on this; believing in magic was his area of expertise.

"Okay," she murmured into his hair. "Okay, then. I'm going to find Hook and break this damn curse, once and for all."

* * *

She stood at the door to Granny's, watching her pirate lean on the counter and scan the menu. A legion of butterflies suddenly decided to have a party in her stomach, and she blew out a long breath to try to quell the nerves.

_You're the savior, for pete's sake. You can do this._

Taking another deep breath, she pushed the door open, eyes catching his as he turned to see who was at the door. After a short pause, she walked up to Hook and took his hand.

"Hook, I need you," she said, tugging at his hand.

"Why, Swan, I've waited so long to hear those words," he said, grinning. "Perhaps I could eat breakfast first, though. I have a feeling I'll need all the energy I can get."

"You're hilarious," she said, fighting a smile. "Come on, seriously, we need to talk."

He winced. "You know how I feel about that phrase."

"It's not a bad thing," she promised. "But it is something I don't really want to discuss in the middle of the diner."

She shot a look at Granny, who was, naturally, watching the whole scene with interest.

"Ooooh, a private discussion," he said. "Lead on, love."

He talked nonstop on the drive to the docks, trying to get her to give him a hint about what was on her mind. She knew, though, that she wanted to get it out in one fell swoop, not in bits and pieces while she was trying to drive.

It wasn't until they were alone in his cabin — and she'd extracted a promise that he would hear her out — that she started to speak.

She told him about the curse, the time loop and Regina's illness. She explained that he was the first to believe her and the one to suggest that she enjoy some time off without consequences.

"It was the day before yesterday," she said, pacing around the small space. "That's when it all kind of backfired on me. When I realized …"

She stopped and stood right in front of where he was leaning on the table, looking him straight in the eye. As promised, he had stayed silent and let her talk, but his eyes were full of sympathy for her situation. As always, he was only thinking of her.

"That's when I finally admitted to myself that I … I'm in love with you."

His eyes widened, and he stood up. Before he could say anything, she put her palm on his chest. "Wait. Let me get this out. I'm not sure exactly when it happened; all I know is in Neverland you were constantly surprising me. You didn't turn out to be the person I thought you were at all. I thought you were nothing more than a pirate, a villain, but I couldn't have been more wrong."

She took a deep breath. This wasn't like her at all, but she found that once she'd started, the words just kept tumbling out. "We wouldn't have been able to save Henry without you, you saved David's life, you believed in me and supported me at every turn. You put everything on the line to get Neal back. I just … I came to depend on you more than anyone, even my parents. I think part of me knew how I felt for a while, but I kept pushing it way because it was easier than dealing with it. But then I couldn't deny it anymore, and it was awful, because I couldn't even tell you, you'd just forget it the next day."

"Emma —"

She shook her head, pushing him back a little with her hand. "No, listen. I just … I have to break this curse, and the only way we know of is True Love's Kiss. I don't know much about love, I'm not even sure I believe in True Love, but …"

She trailed off, not sure exactly what she wanted to say. Hook drew her hand away from his chest and stepped closer.

"If you wanted a kiss, lass, all you had to do was ask."

He slid his hand up to cup her jaw and leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you, Emma, so very much."

His mouth closed over hers, and it was magic.

Literally.

The instant their lips touched, she felt the wave of magic flowing from them. Hook gasped at the feeling, and she took advantage of that to deepen the kiss; they were both breathing hard when they finally separated.

"That was —" Hook began.

"True Love's Kiss," she finished, sliding her arms around him underneath his heavy coat.

"Did it break the curse?" He grinned suddenly and brushed his lips over hers. "Maybe we should try it a few more times to be sure."

She laughed, jumping as her phone started to ring. It was Henry. "Hold that thought," she said.

"Henry, is everything okay?"

"She woke up!" he said. "You did it! You broke the curse. My mom says she can feel her magic coming back, too."

"That's great, kid!" She smiled at Hook and nodded. "Regina woke up."

"Oh, she's hungry now, so Gramps and I are going to get her something from Granny's. I'll talk to you later," he said. "I love you."

"Love you, too," she said, hanging up.

She tucked her phone back in her pocket and looked at Hook. He was biting his lip and staring at her as though she were a puzzle again.

"Swan, I have to ask," he said, pulling her close again. "What exactly made you realize your feelings for me?"

"Um." She closed her eyes and buried her face in his chest. "I don't kiss and tell."

He gently pulled her away so he could look her in the eyes. "There was kissing?"

She sighed. "Among other things."

"Swan."

"I had this plan," she admitted. "You, me, a whole day of totally amazing, completely consequence-free sex. The next day, boom, you'd forget it all. No messy feelings or anything like that to deal with. Except, at the last minute, I couldn't go through with it. I had to tell you everything. And even though you wouldn't remember …"

He smiled. "I still wanted you."

"How did you know?"

He shrugged. "I always want you, Emma."

She smiled shakily. "You said you wanted me to remember every moment. And I do."

"Ah ha!" he said with a laugh. "So it was all part of my villainous plan to get you to realize your feelings for me."

She slid her arms around his neck. "Well, that's your _only_ villainous plan that ever worked. I hate to tell you, but you were kind of a sucky villain. You make a far better hero, Killian."

He froze at the sound of his real name, then grinned. "I'll keep that in mind, love," he said, brushing a kiss over her jaw before moving down her neck.

"I really wish you could remember," she sighed, leaning into him.

"As do I," he murmured, returning his lips to hers. After a lengthy kiss, he continued. "Is there no way I can convince you to tell me the details?"

She pushed him gently in the direction of the bed. "I prefer showing to telling," she said.

"A woman after my own heart."

* * *

It was nearly midnight. Tucked into Hook's way-too-small bed with the pirate spooning her, Emma gripped her cell phone and waited.

After spending the rest of the morning in bed, they had met her parents for lunch. It was about 1,000 percent awkward at first, considering that she felt like she had "I just boned Hook" written on her forehead. Luckily, one thing her parents of all people couldn't argue with was True Love. David may have had to convince himself that the two of them were playing board games all morning, but the epic bromance made a swift return before the lunch was done.

She'd half-heartedly looked for Neal, but he'd left by the time they made it to lunch. She knew she'd have to find him tomorrow and have a serious talk. She didn't want to hurt him, but she wanted to make sure he knew things were truly over between them. She held on to what he'd told Henry the day before, that even though they weren't together, they could all still be a family.

She wasn't even sure what it meant to have a True Love, but so far she had no complaints. And figuring it all out would just be part of the fun.

"Swan, go to sleep," Hook muttered into the back of her neck. "Did I not tire you enough, you insatiable vixen? Truthfully, I'm not sure I'm up for another round at the moment."

She smiled but didn't ease her hold on her phone. "I can't sleep yet."

"We broke the curse," he said. "I know my kisses are always magical, darling … but not like that."

"I know we did," she said, laughing softly. "I know, but I can't go to sleep until I know _for sure_."

"And how exactly will you know?"

She turned in his arms and showed him the display on her phone. "When this says Thursday, I'll be able to sleep."

"So, this phone of yours is a magical oracle that you trust more than your own True Love?" he asked, smoothing circles on her back and dropping soft kisses all over her face.

"My True Love," she said, sighing. "I like the sound of that."

He bumped his nose into hers, then kissed her, slow and sweet and full of love. It stole her breath and seemed to go on for ages before he pulled away.

"Emma?"

"Hmmm?" she hummed against his mouth.

"What does the oracle say now?"

She looked back at her phone, clicking the light back on to read the display.

Thursday.

_Oh, thank God._

"We did it," she whispered.

"Aye. Now may we get some sleep?"

"Mmmm-hmmm." She leaned over and slid her phone onto a nearby shelf before cuddling into his side and humming happily. "Tomorrow, we have to deal with the naked Emperor guy — don't ask — but after that, I'm taking you shopping. There's this great pair of jeans …"


End file.
